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their bike. On the downside, touring bikes are
usually high mileage,” Don says.
The bike he finally ended up with, an
early die-cast machine, was an eBay find in
Tennessee. The seller advertised the bike
as restored. “The engine was rebuilt, and it
was done well, with a hotter cam,” Don says.
“However, he used incorrect bolts elsewhere
and left parts out. For example, he left out a
rear axle spacer. He re-spoked the wheels, but
didn’t bother to rebuild the brakes. The bike
wasn’t safe to ride. When I got it, it was leak-
ing oil and would die if I let off the throttle. It
had been repainted, but not the right Honda
Ruby Red color.
“There is now a considerable premium paid
to obtain one of the early sandcast CB750s,”
Don says. “The 1969-1970-produced models
are identical and are commonly referred to as
K0 models. ‘K’ stands for kaizen, the Japanese
word for ‘improvement’ and ‘0’ for the first ver-
sion.” Don is obsessive about details — you
have to be obsessive about details to prop-
erly restore motorcycles. He made sure all the
screws and bolts were correct, and that all the
missing parts were replaced. The brakes were
rebuilt and the bike was painted the correct
shade of Candy Ruby Red. Not content to own
a trailer queen, Don wanted his 750 to run
as well as it looked. “This is a fast bike,” Don
says. “We have raced this bike against a low-mileage, stock bike
we have, and it was quite a bit faster.” In 2013 the bike won first
place in the Superbike Class at The Quail.
Once a single overhead cam Honda 750 is set up properly,
basic maintenance consists of religiously changing the oil. Don
suggests changing the engine oil every 1,000 miles. “The engine
will do over 100,000 miles without a rebuild. Just change the oil
often,” he says. Don also suggests using iridium spark plugs,
which are more expensive, but will last for years, and replacing
the headlight with a much brighter H4 LED light for safety.
Any vintage bike has its limitations, and Don is well aware
of his 750’s. “It’s a great bike in a straight line. At the time, they
thought the brakes were great, which shows how bad the drum
brakes on all bikes of the time were. Careful attention also needs
to be paid to the battery. The charging system is just adequate to
keep the battery charged. It won’t run the lights and recharge the
battery. If you ride the bike with a very low battery, the alternator
will funnel full charge to the battery and eventually burn out the
alternator. Keep your battery on a trickle charger to keep it fully
charged for riding,” Don says.
“It’s got a wide seat and large side covers, so it feels bulky, but
solid. It’s also hard to correct the line in corners, especially if you
go in with too much speed. But the seat is very comfortable, and
it doesn’t vibrate. It’s a good freeway bike, and with a fairing it’s
almost as good as a Gold Wing. Just keep in mind that it is not
a sport bike, so be careful and ride conservatively. The 750 will
require your attention at all times. It has incredibly beautiful
classic styling that everyone recognizes. It sounds wonderful,
particularly with the early HM300 mufflers. I never get tired of
hearing the sound out of those pipes.” MCThe CB750’s front disc brake got a lot
of attention when it debuted, as drum
brakes were then the norm.